Sarah Alderson's Blog: Writing and all the bits in between - Posts Tagged "thriller"

Very excitingly, Losing Lila's cover is finally ready to be revealed to the world. What do you think?

I love the strapline: 'It's time to stop running and start fighting.'

I wanted it to express how this book is all about the action and Lila coming into her own. And she does. She kicks ASS. Am very excited about its release...just three more months now and counting. Expectations are high for this one and I so want it to deliver for all the fans and bloggers who loved Hunting Lila.

I can confirm that there's tonnes more steam and some epic action scenes and a few more twists. All the characters from Hunting Lila are back in the sequel and all the questions still to be answered are finally resolved...Is Sara a goodie or a baddie? Is Jack alive? And if he is will he and Alex ever become friends again? Will Alex & Lila be able to make a go of it? Will they rescue the people from the base?

Is it a happy ending? That I can't tell you. What I can say is, it isn't a happy ending for everybody. And I can guarantee tears.

And if you need any more incentive to pre-order it let me add this extra morsel of information...there's a story from Alex's point of view in the back. So if you've ever wanted to know what Alex was thinking when Lila fell down the stairs and into his arms at the start of Hunting Lila, or ever wanted to know what was going on behind those inscrutable blue eyes of his when he was listening to her talk, then you'll be able to find out!

I'm also hosting a giveaway on Goodreads...so don't forget to enter for the chance to win a signed copy!

Losing Lila

There's less than a month to go before Losing Lila is released! I'm so excited. And to celebrate, as well as the giveaway on Goodreads, I'm also doing a signed giveaway through my Facebook page.

It's super easy to enter, via Twitter or Facebook, and is open until August 3rd.

For more details visit my Facebook page.
www.facebook.com/sarahjalderson

Severed - the sequel to Fated - is now out. I'm so excited for it finally to be released and even more excited about the third and final book - Shadowed - which is coming out in a few months.

Here are some common questions I'm getting about the book which I thought I'd answer publicly:

1. Is it true there's a love triangle?
No! Evie and Lucas are completely in love. But there is a new character called Cyrus who likes to collect notches on bedposts and who has Evie in his sights. Evie is NOT interested though. So don't panic!

2. Is Shadowed the final book in the series?
Yes. For the moment. It does finish off the Fated saga as it stands. Which is not to say that there might not be a fourth book in the future.

3.Is the Bradbury Building in LA where the way through happens to be, actually real?
Yes. It's a real building. It's also home to the LAPD Internal Affairs department and was used as a set in the film 'Blade Runner.'

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In case you hadn't heard I've also signed for two new books with Simon & Schuster. The first of these The Sound is out in August 2013, and the second Control - is out in August 2014.
They're both contemporary thrillers (not a paranormal element in sight) with some rather lovely lead boys to swoon over.

The final piece of news to share is that the Hunting Lila is still in production but moving ever closer to the green light. There's a small matter of millions of dollars to raise first but we do almost have a script ready (and it's really good!). So watch this space. Or sign up to my newsletter via my website for more frequent updates on all things books and movies.

Talking of which, here's the link to my latest newsletter http://eepurl.com/qvGRn

I'm thrilled to be part of this year's World Book Day...

The NEW World Book Day YA app is out NOW for FREE on iOS and Android.

They've teamed up with Movellas to create a fab FREE app, with new stories from top YA authors including Patrick Ness, Josephine Angelini, Will Hill and ME!

There are 5 stories on it (including mine: Turning Amber) and more to come on World Book Day (7th March 2013). Find out more AND find a local bookshop where you can use your £1 book token (UK only).

Plus each author has started a Story Chain for YOU to add to as well.

Here's the link to the World Book Day site:
http://www.worldbookday.com/community...

and here's the link to the APP:
https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/world...

Turning Amber is a prequel to Hunting Lila (set 5 years before). Grab your copy of Turning Amber and find out just how she met Ryder, why she fell for him, what the hell Demos was doing in a thrift store in Ventura and why it's not a good idea to steal from a gang of Hell's Angels.

People keep on asking when a third Lila book is coming. Well, sorry, no news on that now...but to keep you happy in the meantime here's some news on some juicy short stories that are coming out soon, including a very steamy scene between Alex & Lila (an outtake from Losing Lila).

Put the dates in your diaries!


1st July an ebook short story all about Alex and Lila is out. Set 8 weeks after losing Lila, it takes place in Nantucket and introduces readers to characters from my new book, The Sound, which is out Aug 1st.

Then on October 1st Simon & Schuster are releasing an ebook compilation of short stories from Hunting Lila characters including Demos, Jack and Suki.

But the big news is the steamy Alex and Lila scene which has a release date of jan 2014...which should give you enough time to prepare and install air conditioning.Sarah AldersonThe SoundHunting LilaLosing Lila

Exciting news...there's a short story coming on July 1st... TORMENTING LILA... Here is the blurb:

"When Lila and Alex sneak off for a romantic weekend away, Lila’s hoping she’ll finally have a chance to work on Alex’s resolve.

But just as things start heating up news reaches them of a serial killer at loose on the island and it isn’t long before their intimate weekend away is interrupted.

A mind reader, a projector, a protective older brother and a serial killer. One of them is going to find Lila first. She's hoping it's the serial killer."

Set 8 weeks after the end of Losing Lila, Tormenting Lila will give fans a hit of their favourite characters from the Lila series while introducing them to the characters and stunning location from my next book The Sound (published August 1st, 2013).

There's a great competition coming up too - win the chance to be Alex's girlfriend. More on that later...Tormenting Lila

The super hot x-rated scene that's finally been released as part of the ebook bind up of Hunting and Losing Lila is now available for free to fans!

All you have to do is post the Amazon link to the book on your FB or Twitter along with a sentence explaining why you like the book.

Don't forget to tag me in the post and send me your email address!

Check out my FB page here: https://www.facebook.com/sarahjalderson

The Sound is out today in the US.

link: Here's a little video of me talking about my inspiration for the book (I nannied in Nantucket when I was 17) and reading from a section.

I'm also running a giveaway. over on my Facebook page

Do help me spread the word by telling all your friends and if you did love the book then please also add your review to GR or Amazon. We authors really do need those reviews! :)

I’m at a kids birthday party when a woman I barely know grabs me by the arm and declares: ‘I have an idea that you should write about.’

I glance over her shoulder for the exits, my smile fixing into place, wondering if I should tell her it’s not ideas I’m lacking just hours in the day. ’Human trafficking,’ she announces, ‘you need to write about it.’

I tell her with an apologetic shrug that I write young adult fiction; ‘lots of car chases, hot boys and kissing. That sort of thing.’ Even as I say it, I can feel myself shrinking in her estimation, and, it must be admitted, my own. She’s talking about human trafficking and how it affects over thirty million people worldwide and I’m talking about girls with mind powers and shape-shifting demons.

I left the party with a niggling feeling, which was compounded when I got home by the sight of a post-it stuck over my desk with ‘make your words count’ scrawled on it.

With my first four books, all published by Simon & Schuster, I had established a name as a writer of fast-paced thrillers. When asked about my inspiration I frequently cited Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Sarah Conor from Terminator (Yes, I am that highbrow).

While I’d always prided myself on the fact my female protagonists were kickass and intelligent, now I was confronted by the fact I could be writing something with real power, something that could have impact, something that could potentially help change lives.

‘No,’ my agent sagely advised. ‘A book about human trafficking is very hard to sell.’

She was right of course and there was also the fact that I had no real authority or knowledge of the subject. True, I had no knowledge about telekinesis or secret military units either and this had never stopped me writing about them (Wikipedia, Google and my imagination are my best friends) but human trafficking was something else entirely.

So I sat down to write my next novel - inspired by a combination of Ryan Gosling in Drive, the police station scene in Terminator and a trip to New York - and had an epiphany. I could write about human trafficking after all. I would slide it sneakily into the book. It would still be a young adult thriller, with all the chases, action and kissing required, but at the heart of it would be a human trafficking conspiracy. Immediately I started researching and chatting with friends who worked for the UN, discovering that more people today are enslaved that at any other point in history and that human trafficking has fast become the third largest criminal industry in the world.

Instead of writing about a victim, something I didn’t feel confident enough to do, my protagonist became the teenage daughter of a man who runs a government task force tackling gang-related trafficking and I set her in the midst of a conspiracy involving her father and the New York gangs he’s up against.

The book was eagerly received by my publisher in the UK and snapped up by Simon & Schuster in New York too, making me realise that just because I write young adult fiction doesn’t mean I have to write about sparkly vampires and love triangles. But neither do I have to sacrifice thrills and action in order to make a serious point.

As an author I’ve learned that empowering teenagers isn’t just about giving them strong role models, it’s also about using the medium of storytelling to open their eyes to issues that we all need to take a stand on.

Out of Control by Sarah Alderson (published by Simon & Schuster) is OUT NOW.


http://www.notforsalecampaign.org/
http://www.antislavery.org/english/
http://www.stopthetraffik.org/

This feature originally appeared in The Big Issue (may '14)